Star Wars Episode 7 Teases Maz Kanata & Kylo Ren Spoilers

You are the Princess Shireen of the House Baratheon, and you are my daughter.

Around a week from now, all of Star Wars 7 questions will be answered. We'll know how the force awakens, and why. We'll know what's driving Kylo Ren, where Luke Skywalker's been hiding, why Rey's last name was not revealed and how Finn came to obtain the Force. And as the spoilers begin to leak out, you can guarantee there'll be some pretty epic meltdowns on Facebook.

But until then, there's going to be a whole ton of speculation on all of those issues and more - like the mystery of Maz Kanata, and how Lupita Nyong'o's pirate connects to the greater story arc of The Force Awakens.

Here's the trailer which drops a few of the more relevant clues...

First things first...

Who is Maz Kanata? A brief history: Kanata is an aged female pirate who frequently hosts an array of smugglers, thieves and travellers at her castle on Takodana - which almost certainly explains her connection to Han Solo, who, as we know, tends to move in morally ambiguous circles...

Seeing as it's Maz dialogue which narrates this Star Wars Episode 7 trailer, she's clearly more important to the plot than your standard supporting character. The question is, how does Han's visit to Kanata's castle bring about its destruction?

It's Maz who asks Rey the question "Who are you?", to which Rey responds "I'm no one", implying that Rey is present at the castle and her foray in the woods, teased in most of the trailers, directly follows.

The Kanata Theory

Here's a concise version of the Maz Kanata theory which could explain her (somewhat crucial) role in The Force Awakens...

Han, Chewie, Rey and Finn are aboard the Falcon headed to Takodana, having come into possession of Luke's lightsaber, in the hope that Maz Kanata can "read" it (this theory supposes that the pirate is "Force-sensitive" and can read or interpret objects related to the Force). In doing so, she might be able to shed some light on Luke's whereabouts (going with the popular belief that Luke, in the wake of the anti-Jedi propaganda spread across the galaxy, is in hiding).

Who is Kylo Ren's informer?

The trailer teases the attack on Maz's castle by the First Order, but what prompted the attack? How did they know Han and co. would be there? Is there a double agent in the pack acting as an informer for Kylo Ren?

Following this sequence, with Rey still separated from the group, Han and the others orchestrate an escape to the Resistance base, but a trapped Rey is captured with BB-8 and taken by Kylo Ren for interrogation purposes.

One potential problem with this theory: If Kylo Ren is on Takodana at the same time as our heroes, how do they manage to evade him? Particularly as the following screengrab depicts Chewie, Han and Finn seemingly surrendering as the castle smoulders behind them...

Of course, it's possible that Poe Dameron's X-Wing resistance crashes the party and provides the necessary distraction which makes the escape possible.

What's behind those goggles?

This could quite plausibly back up the notion that Kanata is "force-sensitive", perhaps in the sense that by removing her goggles she is able to "read" objects adjacent to the Force.

There's still so much we don't know about this enigmatic new character, but one thing's for sure: she's important enough that Han and our new gen of heroes put their lives in danger to visit her planet. Does the theory make sense, or does it miss something? Why is Kylo Ren tracking the resistance? Share your thoughts and theories in the comments...

Star Wars Episode 7 drops on December 17th... as if you didn't already know.